Scientists cook world’s first in-vitro beef burger

A corner of west London saw culinary and scientific history made Monday when scientists cooked and served the world’s first lab-grown beef burger. The in-vitro burger, cultured from cattle stem cells, the first example of what its creator says could provide an answer to global food shortages and help combat climate change, was fried in […] Read more

New bird flu poses ‘serious threat,’ WHO says

A new strain of bird flu causing a deadly outbreak among people in China is a threat to world health and should be taken seriously, scientists said Wednesday. The H7N9 strain has killed 24 people and infected more than 125, according to the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO), which has described it as “one of […] Read more


Scientists confirm new H7N9 flu comes from chickens

Chinese scientists have confirmed for the first time that a new strain of bird flu which has killed 23 people in China has been transmitted to humans from chickens. In a study published online in the Lancet medical journal, the scientists echoed previous statements from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese officials that there […] Read more






Study on rats fed Roundup-tolerant corn draws skepticism

In a study that prompted sharp criticism from other experts, French scientists said on Wednesday that rats fed on Monsanto’s genetically modified corn or exposed to its top-selling weedkiller suffered tumours and multiple organ damage. The French government asked the country’s health watchdog to investigate the findings further, although a number of scientists questioned the […] Read more

Diseases from animals hit over two billion people a year

A global study mapping human diseases that come from animals, such as tuberculosis, AIDS, bird flu or Rift Valley fever, has found that just 13 such diseases are responsible for 2.4 billion cases of human illness and 2.2 million deaths a year. The vast majority of infections and deaths from so-called "zoonotic" diseases are in […] Read more


FMD — Cattle Only Infectious For Very Short Time

Reading Time: 2 minutes Scientists studying foot and mouth disease have found that cattle with the virus are infectious for only a very short time, suggesting that mass culling previously used to reduce the disease’s spread may in future be avoided. In research published in the journalScienceMay 5, scientists found that even if the foot and mouth disease (FMD) […] Read more

Foot-and-mouth study suggests culls may be reduced

Scientists studying foot-and-mouth disease have found that cattle with the virus are infectious for only a very short time — suggesting that mass culling previously used to reduce the disease’s spread may in future be avoided. In research published in the journal Science on Thursday, scientists found that even if the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus […] Read more